Neumeister was among three employees fired afterward, according to the lawsuit.

“The death of Christopher Lopez was easily preventable and was caused by a mentality that the lives of prisoners are worthless. Hopefully, this settlement sends a message not just to Colorado prison authorities but to prison and jail authorities all over the country that the human beings they incarcerate must be treated like human beings,” the lawyer for the 35-year-old Lopez’s family, David Lane, said in a statement Thursday.

The Department of Corrections acknowledged the settlement in a brief statement. “We wish to reiterate that Department does not condone the actions or omissions of the employees involved. Their​ actions were well outside of the Department’s established training, policies, and practices,” the statement said.

Lopez’s mother, Juanita Lopez, filed suit in June in U.S. District Court in Denver.

Prison officials said within 10 days of the incident, three employees were terminated and another five were subjected to corrective or disciplinary action.

Lopez, a schizophrenic, died of severe hyponatremia, a condition that occurs when sodium levels are too low. “Almost all instances of hyponatremia are treatable if a person receives prompt and adequate medical attention,” the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit suggested the condition was brought on by too much psychotropic medication.

Lopez, who dropped out of school in the seventh grade, was incarcerated for a series of minor offenses throughout his late teens and early 20s.

In 2005, while in the Weld County Jail, a counselor noted he “believes he is Jesus Christ,” the lawsuit said.

He died in 2013 after prison staff members noticed Lopez lying face down on the floor in his cell at 3:30 a.m., semiconscious and unresponsive.

Thinking he was refusing to respond, they removed him from his cell, placed a spit mask over his head, and dragged his limp body into a restraint chair.

They shackled him to the chair then wheeled him to an intake area of the prison, where they eventually removed him from the chair.

The camera recorded him suffering two grand mal seizures as guards and nurses casually chatted.

Eastbound lanes of Interstate 70 were closed Saturday afternoon at Georgetown due to a semitrailer fire, the Colorado Department of Transportation tweeted. The right lane remains closed, while the other lanes have since reopened. Drivers can expect heavy delays, transportation officials said. The fire initially closed both sides of the interstate as smoked crossed the highway. The load on the...